My sister’s 2¢ arrived after I posted this, but I didn’t want to leave her out (I left her out of enough things when we were kids, I need to stop that*).
* That’s a joke obviously—my little sister was the cool one, I was the one with the books.
Book Blogger Hop
This prompt was submitted by Billy @ Coffee Addicted Writer:
Are books a must-have in your home?
This seemed like a no-brainer of a question to answer, but I was fairly certain that whatever I ended up saying would sound a lot like something I’ve said before, so I decided to crowdsource the answer and reached out to family and friends asking them to respond to, “Are books a must-have in my home?” Here are their responses:
Steve
I’ve heard of a Chinese proverb, something like “never ask a fish about water.”
I would suppose that’s because a fish doesn’t know how important water is until it’s removed from it.
I pray you never have to be removed from printed words and their life-giving nourishment.
Steve’s known me longer than anyone who doesn’t share my last name or DNA, he knows whereof he speaks
Rosemarie
My first inclination is to go full Sicilian with my answer. I’ll be polite though and ask you, “Che cavolo dici?”
Must-have…are we talking defined as an essential or highly desirable item? Let me ask you these questions in return. Does Stephanie Plum need Janet Evanovich? Is Charles Portis essential for Reuben J. Cogburn? How about Atticus, Jem, and Scout? Was Harper Lee essential to them? Would Mr. Darcy be desirable if not for Jane Austen? Would Lucy and Mr. Tumnus ever meet if not Lewis? What would H.C. have named his children if not for the books in his home?
Yes, I would say books are essential in H.C.’s home. But then I have always had a flair for the obvious.
Victor
Home? I thought he lived in a library branch!
Nicole
Initial reaction to this question
Paul
“Are books a must-have in your home?” Does a fish need water? Car need gas….or electricity?? A camel need a hump? Or 2?? Peanut butter need jelly?? Elvis need Pike? Spenser need Hawk?? Quinn need Lily?? Rebus need Shiv?? A house of yours without books would be like the vacuum of space, nothingness hurtling at the speed of light in all directions, nothingness in chaos with nothingness…utter senselessness, utterly!!
Nisha
Yes!!
(I really hoped to have a paragraph or two, especially since I like to poke fun and be rotten. However, time and creativity escaped me!)
I was hoping for something more, honestly, but so were they. Figured Nisha would bring the funny, as they rarely pass up the chance to be rotten to their uncle–but I’ve been there, time and creativity are harsh and finicky mistresses. And, hey, “Yes!!” is accurate.
Carleigh, my daughter
I’m sensing a theme.
Owen, my oldest
He just sent me this FB screenshot from when we were preparing to move a couple of years ago:
A long day of work and being the family IT tech got the better of him, and he had to go with a practical answer.
My Sister
Are marshmallows a must-have for s’mores?
Is water a must-have for fish?
Is a flame a must-have for a fire?
Is oxygen a must-have to breathe?
I’m no expert on any of these things except s’mores and maybe breathing. But, I’m pretty sure books are as essential in H.C.’s home as any of these!
I would say they go together like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong.
Be grateful that I’m not a BookTuber or a podcaster, no one wants to hear what that would’ve sounded like.)
My Dad
Q: Are books a must-have in H.C.’s home?
A: Absolutely! Yes, unless H.C. can totally reinvent himself and his home, family, and life. What kind of book? Probably doesn’t matter that much.
My Wife
That’s like asking if food, water, and clothing are must-haves.
My Mom (who goes last because she got serious and earnest about it)
H.C. has never lived without books in his home. He was read to and told stories from the time he was born.
At age 3 his readers weren’t always able to read to him when he wanted so he began reading on his own. He proved that he was truly reading, not just reciting books that had been read to him, when he began reading the local newspaper to himself. His appetite for books has continually grown. As his mother, I learned that I needed to read whatever books he was reading at the time so I could continue to talk to him about topics that were important and interesting to him. I ended up reading different genres (is that the right word?) of books than I would have on my own and found interesting topics and styles of writing. He outgrew me in High School with reading and requiring books to keep exploring and learning and enjoying. Fortunately, he had access to libraries since there were only so many places to shelve books in his home. He reads and re-reads books because he enjoyed them so much the first time. He remembers who wrote what book/s. He remembers the content of books he read yesterday, last month, and 30 years ago. He knows what books to recommend to or give to family members based on their interests. He treats books and their authors with respect and awe. He sees books as friends, as pathways to learning, and as entertainment. He shares books and his love of books with people he cares about as well as with people he doesn’t know. He thrives on books challenging him. The question of books being a must-have in H.C.’s home is not even a question. Makes as much sense as asking if H.C.’s body needs air, water, and food.
Oh, look, another theme.
What about you—is a house a home without a book?
Grab a book, any book.
